Jump to Recipe

The Wins:

Fast Rise
GF, DF, Vegan
Optional mix-ins

In celebration of World EOE awareness day, I baked a loaf of bread and made butter: two items that, with EOE, have been removed from my diet. EOE, or Eosinophilic Esophagitus, is where an allergen causes eosinophils to locate to and attack the tissues of the esophagus. The allergen varies widely from person to person, anywhere from dairy to gluten to tomatoes. The tissues then become furrowed and scarred, the tissue becoming stiff and eventually, causes severe narrowing to the point that you cannot swallow and food becomes stuck. It’s great fun.

Most often, this diagnosis happens in young children. Mine, however, happened at 45. I ended up in the ER one night after eating a bite of chicken that became lodged, the pain so severe I thought I was having a heart attack.

No rhyme or reason but after several endoscopies, rounds of medication, and even more doctors, I was allowed to test out my theory that dairy was the allergen. I went fully dairy free, reducing my flares to zero increasing the time between endoscopies over the past year and a half.

I wasn’t really a dairy person in general but butter & cheese were definitely a part of our meal plan. I had already been gluten free for other GI issues for over 6 years and incorporating dairy free into my lifestyle was not incredibly difficult. Being vegan previously in college and a lover of all things olive and coconut, I searched for an easy vegan butter that was actually on the healthy side. Discovering The Vegan Creamery by Miyoko Schinner was amazing. Taking her vegan soft butter spread recipe and incorporating the ingredients I favored, I have been able to create a delicious healthy butter spread that is 4 ingredients, contains probiotics, and zero seed oils.

Cultured Dairy-free Butter

• 3/4 cup coconut oil (the solid kind)
• 1 cup extra light olive oil (use can use EVOO as well if you really love the olive flavor)
• 1/2 cup dairy free soy yogurt (I love Silk brand)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Set the cup of olive oil in a container in the freezer for 15-20 minutes until it becomes very cold. Quickly liquify coconut oil in microwave until just melted, about 30 seconds. Using an immersion blender (or whisking very quickly), emulsify the cold olive oil into the coconut oil. Add the yogurt and salt and continue blending until fully incorporated. Place back into the freezer for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the outside of the butter begins to set. Remove from freezer and whisk until it thickens into a soft butter consistency. Pack into a lidded container and keep in fridge until you need it.

This variation of Miyoko’s recipe results in a very light butter colored spread, a nice light tang from the yogurt and a salty kick. Feel free to eliminate the salt if you prefer unsalted. Or add additional things like cinnamon or honey for a sweet version.

Herbed Gluten Free Boule

• Pan: 8″ round cake pan
• Parchment paper
• Olive oil spray

Lightly spritz the bottom and interior sides of the cake pan. This will help hold the parchment in place.

Cut a round of parchment to fit the bottom of your cake pan and then 1-2 additional wide strips to wrap around the inside of the pan, forming parchment paper ‘walls’. These should be a little taller than the top of your cake pan.

• 3 cups of King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure flour (I have not tested this loaf with any other flour blend. This is my go to for all baking.)
• 1/4 cup gluten free arrowroot flour
• 1/2 cup gluten free oat flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 package Fast Rising yeast (fast rising is important here; do not use traditional yeast)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups lukewarm water

Additional options – pick one:

• 3-4 teaspoons Herbs de Provence dried herb blend
• 2-3 teaspoons dried or fresh chopped rosemary
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and 1/4 cup raisins

In a large mixing bowl, add first 5 ingredients (flours, arrowroot, yeast, baking powder and salt). Mix sugar into lukewarm water and stir until dissolved. Add yeast to flour mixture, stir briefly to combine and pour in water. Mix well until batter is fully incorporated and smooth. There is no gluten so you don’t need to be afraid of over-mixing. Pour dough into your prepared cake pan and loosely cover with a damp paper towel.

Let dough rise for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 425 during the last 10 minutes of the rise.

Place cake pan on baking sheet and bake bread for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake another 20 minutes. Increase oven back to 425, remove bread from pan and parchment paper and place loaf back in hot oven for 10-15 minutes or until the crust turns a golden brown.

Want to hear the crunch of the crust? Watch the video on TikTok and follow me @EoEricaEats